As a collection, ‘GOLDSTAR’ is the type of first impression that may well leave one slightly lost, a little confused, and with their head certainly spinning, but after it all anyone who meets them will be damn happy they did.

Two thirds of the way in, the earth-shattering basslines make their way into the track, managing to reign in that sense of initial chaos, holding everything together and potently reminding any doubters that the trio--Efrim Menuck, Thierry Amar and Sophie Trudeau--have lost none of their sense of the epic.

This is an astonishingly good album, and the fact that it's a debut makes its stylistic and thematic consistency, as well as suave swagger, all the more to be recommended.

What is particularly impressive about the EP is its diversity, without diversion.

Dry wit and effortless elegance run throughout, which makes cinematic, poetic wonderment out of eye rolls and humongous sighs.

Having watched countless American artists demonstrate through their music that Black Lives Do Indeed Matter, Kele Okereke has finally achieved his own Black-British take in ‘2042’, capturing all the fears and foibles of our current political system through a sonic palette that recalls some of the earliest of Bloc Party’s work.

The songs are rarely improved upon, with the fidelity to ruggedness giving the songs the feel of half-finished demos, but the songwriting itself is, of course, stellar.

A vulnerable, accomplished but, most importantly, empowering debut.

Hobo Rocket is a genuinely believable, and extremely successful celebration.

Across the record, all prop each other up to create something that’s more than the sum of their parts. In this case, three in a B.E.D fits just fine.

The only dud is GAYLE’s ‘butterflies’, which does nothing more than showcase the record’s corporate origins. Sampling a Y2K hit would have surely looked good on paper at some point; in reality it’s a confused mish-mash of sounds, the sample appearing as an add-on, the newcomer without the star power of her peers here to hint lyrically at anything of note. That aside, life in plastic does indeed sound fantastic.

Staying At Tamara’s doesn’t shelve real-life problems, but simply recognises the power in taking yourself away.

It’s all the more joyous for its lack of shame. This is a major label pop album and that’s OK.

It’s smart and knowing, flitting between perspectives with ease. Barely a year after his last, Josh Tillman makes this shit look easy.

Her most consistent album to date, and let-loose like never before, blimey it’s good to have her back.

Perhaps most thrilling is when those two sides merge, as they do on the epic, stylistically fluid ‘The End’, which runs nearly nine minutes and confirms - as does ‘Stardust’ as a whole - that his ambition remains undimmed as he opens this new chapter.

As the soundtrack to a night in a sweaty underground club, ‘Crystalpunk’ stands tall - all the more for its thematic emotional heft. A daring - if, at times, a little overdone - and ambitious statement.

[Shut Down the Streets is] a truly mature and well-rounded work, with a complete lack of pretension, and a lot of warmth and heart.

For anyone who’s long fallen for the Derry native’s charms, third time’s a winner - for anyone who finds comfort in revelling in stripped-back melancholy, it’s a dream.

An experimental collection of recordings that shows just how well they are progressing.

The Leeds five-piece combine psychedelia, krautrock and gonzo rock 'n roll to unashamedly epic effect on this surprisingly immediate debut album.

The Goon Sax are at their best when asking questions and trying to work out their existential angst, rather than giving definitive answers.

LP1 is a brave first step that she had to take. It’s not perfect, but anything this expressive and personally vital rarely is.

It’s a record that feels at once deeply personal and eloquently grand at once. All this aside, musically Sirens is up there with Jaar’s best work

‘All or Nothing’ is a grand refinement of their previous work, rather than a reinvention. Still retained is that amazing sense of propulsion and momentum the group have made their own; ‘Initiative’ and ‘Body Clock’ are impossibly fast, constantly threatening to overbalance themselves, yet always remaining resolute and gloriously intact.

From gut-wrenching lows to stratospheric heights, A Weird Exits is an adrenaline-fuelled ride of epic proportions.

The guitars are still awash in reverb, the percussion remains propulsive, and the deceptively complex vocal harmonisation is the axis around which everything else revolves. What’s new is a feeling of genuine exhilaration - on the freewheeling standout ‘Something to Do’, the infuriatingly catchy ‘I’m Far Away’, and on the gentle breeze of ‘At It Again’ especially. ‘Memory’, is music for the love of it, and unabashedly so.

It remains to be seen whether The Art Of Pretending To Swim will gain Villagers hoards of new followers, but fans of the Irish five-piece will put their fourth record right up there with their best.